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‘D***! That nig** shot me’
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| ‘D***! That nig** shot me’ |
By JESSICA WILLIAMS-GIBSON
Like the saying goes, the choices you make in life ultimately determine your destiny.
Sometimes people don’t always make the right choices. Meet Johnny Taylor, Curtis Jackson and Elicia Banks. Some of the names have been changed to protect their identity. Their choices have lead to prison sentences, shootings and the death of a young man. Despite the diversity in choices, they’re all grateful for another day to make a better decision.
“JOHNNY TAYLOR,” 29
Unlike many African-Americans, Johnny Taylor grew up in a two-parent home. Instead of looking towards his mother or father for influence, he was lured by the streets. Following in the footsteps of his cousins, at the age of 19, Taylor committed his first and last robbery.
“It was the money, cars, clothes and women,” said Taylor. “My parents tried and tried, but I was rebellious. I realized I hurt my mother a lot and apologized a million times.”
Taylor and others were attempting to rob a drug dealer. During the robbery a fight erupted and a gun went off, hitting and killing Taylor’s cousin.
Taylor received 55 years for felony murder, robbery and conspiracy to rob yet served 10 years in an Indiana State Prison located in Michigan City. At that time, he was just 20-years-old.
“Everything you could imagine happened. Older men looking at me like meat, a shower once every three days, one sack lunch at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” said Taylor. “I was on lockdown at least 40 percent (of the time). You can’t come out that cell; only for a shower and medical purposes.
“I had to grow up fast; I had to learn to be a man. You can’t call anybody when you want to or need help.”
Taylor states prison either makes you or breaks you. He decided to make lemonade out of lemons. During his jail tenure, Taylor mourned the loss of his cousin, received his GED and a degree in education psychology and child psychology from Ball State University. During his stint in jail, he had no write-ups and was in one fight. His goal now is to be a physician.
Today Taylor has a job, received his driver’s permit, maintains good credit and talks with youth about his bad choices.
“Some kids look at prison as a badge of honor. I tell them about the guys that got raped, got killed, the guys that hung themselves or drank Draino because they couldn’t handle it or guys on death row,” said Taylor. “It’s like a 10 x 8 cell. The more you’re caged up, the more you act like an animal.”
Taylor has been out of jail for four months.
“CURTIS JEFFERSON,” 34
Though Curtis Jefferson has never been to prison, he states he still fell in with the wrong crowd. Using drug money, he had the “lifestyle” of cars, clothes and women.
“I never really had a job, but I’m expensive,” he laughs. “My father told me, can’t nobody tell you what you can’t have. If you want it, go get it…by any means necessary.”
Though he enjoyed the finer things, life was far from glamorous. His mother shot and killed his father when he was 9-years-old. Jefferson and his brother went to live with his grandmother.
Jefferson and his brother had the basic necessities but always lived in poverty. Stress at such a young age further made “hustling” attractive.
“My mother went to jail, my father died, we were in an environment where people didn’t want us, and treated us bad. My brother found a girl and left me. I just clung to the streets,” said Jefferson.
The streets loved him back. Older men of the streets took him in and gave him opportunities to work. After school, he ran a candy store, a pool hall and sold liquor out of a side door; at age 13. He was shown the street life. Selling dope as a young adult, he opened a restaurant, car detailing shop and had aspirations to go into real estate.
After dropping off his wife’s children at the babysitter, Jefferson seized an opportunity to sell marijuana to a car of women. Unbeknownst to him, the women were loitering in the parking space of a convicted felon who had been released from prison earlier that day.
The man began to curse at Jefferson, yet he tried to peacefully resolve the situation. The man responded by shooting Jefferson four times in the stomach. When Jefferson turned to run away he was shot another three times; in the arm, back and shoulder.
“I’m thinking ‘Damn! This nigga shot me,” said Jefferson. “I wasn’t thinking about dying. I just thought ‘I can’t go home like this.’”
Jefferson was shot nine times by a man he didn’t know over a parking space he wasn’t parked in. He states if he could live that day over again, he would have dropped the children off and kept going.
“I try to make amends of the situation; from all of his hostility. Now I know to keep my mouth shut,” said Jefferson. “This is a lesson learned. Everyday I get up, take my family where they need to go and go to work. I’m not looking back to the street life. I just try to make a living. Since I got shot, I’ve been on the straight and narrow.”
Jefferson’s shooter was never brought to justice.
ELICIA BANKS, MOTHER OF DAVID LEWIS COOPER
David Lewis Cooper was your typical teenager. He played football for Lawrence North high school, had lots of friends and had a loving family. It was the choice of David’s friend Kenny that would lead to David’s death.
David and Kenny were leaving a party on Halloween weekend and like most teens went to another location to continue hanging out. While David was inside a gas station, Kenny got into a fight with a group of young men.
The men decided to follow David and Kenny. A few hours later, the boys pulled up next to Kenny’s car and began shooting. A single bullet hit David in the neck, instantly killing him.
“All over a punch in the jaw. It’s funny because they demand respect, but they don’t want to give respect,” said Elicia Banks, David’s mother. “You get punched and your reaction is to get guns?”
Kenny pulled over into a gas station and began to administer mouth to mouth while trying to get help. An innocent bystander also tried to help save David’s life. The men returned, determined to shoot Kenny and instead shot the innocent bystander in the back.
When asked about how she feels about her son’s death due to Kenny’s temper, Banks states she has mixed feelings, but as a Christian, forgives Kenny.
“He stayed at my home for the next six months. He was devastated,” Banks explained. “I think it was part shock, part guilt. (Kenny) didn’t tell us everything that happened or admit to the fight. That hampered the investigation. It took him five months to admit to me he hit this person.” Both of Kenny’s parents are currently incarcerated.
Normally Banks would pick up David from parties, but this was the one time she didn’t. Banks also explains that over time, she learned of Kenny’s frequent fights and sometimes wishes her son hadn’t gotten so close, so quickly to Kenny.
The men who shot David and the innocent bystander have never been completely brought to justice. No one has confessed to David’s murder and the police have no substantial proof to convict the shooters.
“I see them at events and at the mall. My other son and David’s friends still see them about,” Banks said.
Banks continues to work with different sectors of the police department to bring judicial closure to David’s death and speaks with violence victims about kindness, clear thinking and good decision making.
On August 30, 2009, David would have been 20-years-old. Since his death, Banks continues to celebrate David’s birthday and finds peace in David’s salvation in Christ.
Sometimes people don’t always make the right choices. Meet Johnny Taylor, Curtis Jackson and Elicia Banks. Some of the names have been changed to protect their identity. Their choices have lead to prison sentences, shootings and the death of a young man. Despite the diversity in choices, they’re all grateful for another day to make a better decision.
“JOHNNY TAYLOR,” 29
Unlike many African-Americans, Johnny Taylor grew up in a two-parent home. Instead of looking towards his mother or father for influence, he was lured by the streets. Following in the footsteps of his cousins, at the age of 19, Taylor committed his first and last robbery.
“It was the money, cars, clothes and women,” said Taylor. “My parents tried and tried, but I was rebellious. I realized I hurt my mother a lot and apologized a million times.”
Taylor and others were attempting to rob a drug dealer. During the robbery a fight erupted and a gun went off, hitting and killing Taylor’s cousin.
Taylor received 55 years for felony murder, robbery and conspiracy to rob yet served 10 years in an Indiana State Prison located in Michigan City. At that time, he was just 20-years-old.
“Everything you could imagine happened. Older men looking at me like meat, a shower once every three days, one sack lunch at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” said Taylor. “I was on lockdown at least 40 percent (of the time). You can’t come out that cell; only for a shower and medical purposes.
“I had to grow up fast; I had to learn to be a man. You can’t call anybody when you want to or need help.”
Taylor states prison either makes you or breaks you. He decided to make lemonade out of lemons. During his jail tenure, Taylor mourned the loss of his cousin, received his GED and a degree in education psychology and child psychology from Ball State University. During his stint in jail, he had no write-ups and was in one fight. His goal now is to be a physician.
Today Taylor has a job, received his driver’s permit, maintains good credit and talks with youth about his bad choices.
“Some kids look at prison as a badge of honor. I tell them about the guys that got raped, got killed, the guys that hung themselves or drank Draino because they couldn’t handle it or guys on death row,” said Taylor. “It’s like a 10 x 8 cell. The more you’re caged up, the more you act like an animal.”
Taylor has been out of jail for four months.
“CURTIS JEFFERSON,” 34
Though Curtis Jefferson has never been to prison, he states he still fell in with the wrong crowd. Using drug money, he had the “lifestyle” of cars, clothes and women.
“I never really had a job, but I’m expensive,” he laughs. “My father told me, can’t nobody tell you what you can’t have. If you want it, go get it…by any means necessary.”
Though he enjoyed the finer things, life was far from glamorous. His mother shot and killed his father when he was 9-years-old. Jefferson and his brother went to live with his grandmother.
Jefferson and his brother had the basic necessities but always lived in poverty. Stress at such a young age further made “hustling” attractive.
“My mother went to jail, my father died, we were in an environment where people didn’t want us, and treated us bad. My brother found a girl and left me. I just clung to the streets,” said Jefferson.
The streets loved him back. Older men of the streets took him in and gave him opportunities to work. After school, he ran a candy store, a pool hall and sold liquor out of a side door; at age 13. He was shown the street life. Selling dope as a young adult, he opened a restaurant, car detailing shop and had aspirations to go into real estate.
After dropping off his wife’s children at the babysitter, Jefferson seized an opportunity to sell marijuana to a car of women. Unbeknownst to him, the women were loitering in the parking space of a convicted felon who had been released from prison earlier that day.
The man began to curse at Jefferson, yet he tried to peacefully resolve the situation. The man responded by shooting Jefferson four times in the stomach. When Jefferson turned to run away he was shot another three times; in the arm, back and shoulder.
“I’m thinking ‘Damn! This nigga shot me,” said Jefferson. “I wasn’t thinking about dying. I just thought ‘I can’t go home like this.’”
Jefferson was shot nine times by a man he didn’t know over a parking space he wasn’t parked in. He states if he could live that day over again, he would have dropped the children off and kept going.
“I try to make amends of the situation; from all of his hostility. Now I know to keep my mouth shut,” said Jefferson. “This is a lesson learned. Everyday I get up, take my family where they need to go and go to work. I’m not looking back to the street life. I just try to make a living. Since I got shot, I’ve been on the straight and narrow.”
Jefferson’s shooter was never brought to justice.
ELICIA BANKS, MOTHER OF DAVID LEWIS COOPER
David Lewis Cooper was your typical teenager. He played football for Lawrence North high school, had lots of friends and had a loving family. It was the choice of David’s friend Kenny that would lead to David’s death.
David and Kenny were leaving a party on Halloween weekend and like most teens went to another location to continue hanging out. While David was inside a gas station, Kenny got into a fight with a group of young men.
The men decided to follow David and Kenny. A few hours later, the boys pulled up next to Kenny’s car and began shooting. A single bullet hit David in the neck, instantly killing him.
“All over a punch in the jaw. It’s funny because they demand respect, but they don’t want to give respect,” said Elicia Banks, David’s mother. “You get punched and your reaction is to get guns?”
Kenny pulled over into a gas station and began to administer mouth to mouth while trying to get help. An innocent bystander also tried to help save David’s life. The men returned, determined to shoot Kenny and instead shot the innocent bystander in the back.
When asked about how she feels about her son’s death due to Kenny’s temper, Banks states she has mixed feelings, but as a Christian, forgives Kenny.
“He stayed at my home for the next six months. He was devastated,” Banks explained. “I think it was part shock, part guilt. (Kenny) didn’t tell us everything that happened or admit to the fight. That hampered the investigation. It took him five months to admit to me he hit this person.” Both of Kenny’s parents are currently incarcerated.
Normally Banks would pick up David from parties, but this was the one time she didn’t. Banks also explains that over time, she learned of Kenny’s frequent fights and sometimes wishes her son hadn’t gotten so close, so quickly to Kenny.
The men who shot David and the innocent bystander have never been completely brought to justice. No one has confessed to David’s murder and the police have no substantial proof to convict the shooters.
“I see them at events and at the mall. My other son and David’s friends still see them about,” Banks said.
Banks continues to work with different sectors of the police department to bring judicial closure to David’s death and speaks with violence victims about kindness, clear thinking and good decision making.
On August 30, 2009, David would have been 20-years-old. Since his death, Banks continues to celebrate David’s birthday and finds peace in David’s salvation in Christ.
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